What makes a country “polite”—and which ones stand out globally?

A new survey of over 4,600 respondents by Remitly reveals a clear frontrunner.

Japan alone captured more than 35% of all votes, far ahead of every other country on the list.

As Visual Capitalist's Gabriel Cohen shows in the chart below, the ranking highlights how perceptions of politeness vary worldwide, while also revealing strong regional patterns across Europe and Asia.

Perceptions of politeness can shape everything from tourism experiences to international business relationships.

For travelers, these rankings often influence expectations around etiquette, hospitality, and day-to-day interactions abroad.

Japan: The World’s Clear Favorite

Japan stands far ahead of every other country, capturing 35.2% of all votes—nearly three times more than second-place Canada. No other country breaks even 15%, underscoring just how dominant Japan’s reputation is globally.

Japanese culture is famous for its high emphasis on respect, etiquette, and social harmony. The country’s blend of tradition and recognizable cultural exports has helped it become well-regarded nearly everywhere.

Certain traits associated with local culture no doubt contribute to the Japanese people’s reputation of politeness, including the value placed on cleanliness and punctuality.

Beyond this, citizens of other countries may be surprised when encountering Japanese bowing, a way of conveying respect, as well as other unique elements such as relative silence on public transit within the country.

Canada’s High Respect Premium

Canada ranks second with 13.4% of the vote—less than half of Japan’s total, highlighting the gap between first place and the rest of the field.

The sprawling North American country has been deemed the most respected country worldwide by one measure, while Canadians have long been known as some of the friendliest people on the globe.

Canada’s hospitality and civility has boosted the country’s reputation for politeness, both in dealings with each other and with people from other countries. This has been reinforced in some corners by the country’s relative contrasts with its southern neighbor, the United States, which obtained just over a tenth of the share of votes (1.6%) of Canada.

Europe’s High Prevalence of Politeness

After Canada, the United Kingdom ranks third at 6.2%, leading a strong European showing. In total, European countries make up more than half of the top 25—suggesting that politeness, as perceived globally, is strongly associated with the region.

Northern Europeans appear to fare better than their peers across the Old Continent, with the UK joined in the top 10 by Germany (2.8%) and Nordic countries like Sweden (2.3%), Denmark (2.1%), and Finland (1.9%).

In contrast, Asian countries nabbed a fifth of the spots on the list, while Africa was home to only one country in the top 25: South Africa, which at 1.8% of all votes cast landed at the 10th position worldwide.

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out The Best Countries For Culture & Heritage, As Determined by the People on Voronoi.